The Birth Preparation team at the Portimão Unit of the Centro Hospitalar do Algarve completes its 100th course this month.
With more than 1200 couples/pregnant women prepared, since 2003, this team, composed of two specialist nurses in maternal and obstetric health, two physiotherapists, and a psychologist, is motivated to continue to provide these teachings to future parents, hoping in this way contribute to the birth of “happy babies”.
This course was created to respond to the need of future mothers to know more about the entire process that involves pregnancy, childbirth and the birth of the baby.
The arrival of a child implies a very significant change in the life of the woman and her partner. That is why it is important to prepare families for this change, physical and psychological, helping to facilitate childbirth and help to live pregnancy and motherhood fully.
The prospect of a birth is usually experienced with great anxiety associated with the lack of knowledge about the inherent physical and psychological processes. Fear of the unknown decreases when you know what is going to happen and its causes.
Equipping couples with knowledge that allows them to face labor and birth naturally is one of the main objectives of the course. The promotion of self-confidence in the couple and active participation in childbirth and postpartum are also goals that are intended to be achieved with this training, which is always aimed at the harmonious and healthy development of the family.
The advantages for mothers, babies and fathers are proven by themselves, but also by the health professionals who accompany couples during childbirth and during their stay in the maternity hospital. The differences between couples who have prepared for birth and those who have not are notorious throughout the process.
"We managed to have pregnant/new mothers and parents who are less anxious, more collaborative, more awake to all signs, which allows us to communicate effectively, because they can explain to us what they want and we manage to make ourselves understood much more easily" explains Alda Santos, one of the nurses responsible for this project.
What does the Birth Preparation course consist of?
In the birth preparation course, practical and theoretical issues are addressed in order to promote education for maternal-fetal and newborn health and enable parents to acquire knowledge and skills to help them prepare. for birth and parenting.
With a view to facilitating the development of labor, with pain control, teaching of physical exercises and control breathing is provided, which contributes to the reduction of anxiety and stress caused by labor.
In these sessions, all the most common doubts that pregnant women and couples have when expecting a child are clarified. What happens to the body during pregnancy and childbirth; how to actively participate in labor; how to alleviate some of the discomforts of pregnancy; how to control anxiety and fear through relaxation and breathing; what are the signs of childbirth and how to act on each one of them; breastfeeding; baby care and postpartum recovery are the main themes addressed in the course with a view to allowing future parents to reach the ideal physical and emotional balance to experience pregnancy and childbirth in a full and gratifying way.
At the end of the course, a visit is made to all the facilities where the pregnant woman will pass during childbirth.
The presence of the father (or significant person chosen by the woman to attend the birth) is always encouraged.
In addition to the importance of information about pregnancy and childbirth provided in these sessions, it will allow the father to monitor and participate at all times, as he will learn different breathing and relaxation exercises that will help the woman during childbirth.
How birth preparation courses work
The birth preparation courses at the Portimão Unit of the Centro Hospitalar do Algarve began in 2003 and are already preparing 1210 couples. Divided into 10 sessions of 1h30 each, they last from 5 to 6 weeks.
The requests are always superior to the answer, since for logistical and human resources reasons it is only possible to receive between 10 to 12 pregnant women/couples in each course. Access is in the order of registration, however, priority is always given to pregnant teenagers.
To access this training, pregnant women must have written authorization from the attending physician (which is only given after the 12th week of pregnancy). They must also ask the Health Center for a referral to a Physiatrics appointment for preparation for birth at the Hospital.
The sessions are always held in groups and preferably with pregnant women between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation.
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